IN BRIEF...

The research program of the Observatoire d'oiseaux de Tadoussac (OOT) focuses on the following objective:

To obtain, by means of long-term monitoring, information that will allow the evaluation of demographic trends of populations of migratory bird species. Particular emphasis is placed on those species nesting in the Boreal region.

The specific objectives of our research:

  • to monitor long-term alterations in populations of Boreal bird species;

  • to monitor, using bird species as indicators, the possible effects on northern ecosystems of climate change and commercial exploitation of forest resources;

  • to estimate the annual breeding success of certain migratory species;

  • to study bird migration in eastern North America;

  • to determine the presence of natural cycles and their periodicity in populations of Boreal bird species;

  • to determine the effect of weather conditions on bird migration and on our capacity to detect migrating birds;

  • to determine the geographical origin of birds migrating through Tadoussac;

  • to study moult patterns;

  • to study avian parasites;

  • to train ornithologists and to heighten public awareness to bird conservation.

The Observatoire d'oiseaux de Tadoussac is:

  • the first bird observatory in Québec and one of the most northerly in eastern North America. In just ten years, more than 4.5 million birds have been recorded during 9 500 hours of observation;
  • an important site at the North American scale for monitoring migrating raptors (Raptor Watch 2000);
  • the only observatory representing Québec in the Canadian and North American network for the monitoring of migrating birds;
  • an important reference for Québec’s birdwatchers and an active contributor to scientific and ecotouristic aspects of the North Shore;
  • an extensive program of visual counts which annually records an average of 17 000 raptors and 100 000 shorebirds, passerines and other bird species;
  • a banding program that each autumn allow the capture and banding of thousands of passerines and hundreds of Northern Saw-whet and Boreal Owls, and woodpeckers;
  • a partner of the Parc National du Saguenay offering the public an insight into the life of birds and bird migration, and education in ornithology;
  • an ambitious long-term project that is made possible through the financial contributions of a number of partners and the generosity of numerous volunteers and supporters;
  • a strategically situated site for observing birds at the interface between the maritime estuary of the St. Lawrence and the Boreal forest.

 

Tadoussac, a concentration of migrating birds

Diurnally migrating raptors and passerines avoid, in general, crossing large expanses of open water. During their migration south, birds originating from the northeast peninsula of Québec and Labrador are therefore forced to follow the shoreline of the St. Lawrence. This phenomenon serves to concentrate the birds at Tadoussac. Slightly further south, the St. Lawrence narrows, providing a potential crossing point for certain species.

A network...

The OOT is a member of the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network (CMMN), Bird Study Canada, the Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA) and the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. In 2000, the OOT was recognised as an essential partner of the Fondation de la faune du Québec and as an important partner in the framework of the Imprtant Bird Areas of Canada (IBA)-Tadoussac, of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI), and the Plan d’action pour le rétablissement du Faucon pèlerin anatum au Québec. Moreover, the OOT was the first associate member of the Association québécoise des groupes d’ornithologues (AQGO). Finally, the OOT is also a member of the Union québécoise de réhabilitation des oiseaux de proie (UQROP), and of the Club d'ornithologie du Manicouagan (COM).

A strategically placed bird observatory

There are 21 bird observatories currently making up the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network. The OOT is the only observatory from Québec and the only French-speaking observatory in North America. It is also one of the rare observatories where the observations are continuous and standardized throughout the major part of the migration period. Furthermore, the OOT is also one of the northernmost observatories in the east of the continent, allowing it to monitor several Boreal species.
Rocky Point Bird Observatory Vaseux Lake Migration Monitoring Station Mackenzie Nature Observatory Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory Beaverhill Bird Observatory Inglewood Bird Sanctuary Last Mountain Bird Observatory Delta Marsh Bird Observatory Thunder Cape Bird Observatory Whitefish Point Bird Observatory Bruce Peninsula Bird Observatory Long Point Bird Observatory Haldimand Bird Observatory Toronto Bird Observatory Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory Innis Point Bird Observatory Observatoire d'oiseaux de Tadoussac Gros Morne National Park Migration Monitoring Station Brier Island Bird Migration Research Station Point Lepreau Atlantic Bird Observatory

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